Alarm operated switch



April 28, 1936. J. o. SIMON ALARM OPERATED SWITCH Filed Dec. 12, 1934James 0. 52mm.

Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE one-half to Lloyd T.

Brown, Taylorville, Ill.

Application December 12, 1934, Serial No. 757,197

1 Claim.

My present invention has reference to a timed circuit control forelectric currents.

It is my aim to provide a circuit control which includes a switch in anelectric circuit and which has removably attached thereto, conductorsleading to the operating means of a radio or the like, together withmeans, operated at timed intervals, for operating the switch to on oroff positions to direct current to or away from such radio operatingmeans.

It is also my purpose the provision of'a switch for this purpose, thatis plugged into an electric source, and which switch may be removablyand adjustably attached to an ordinary spring wound alarm clock in amanner whereby the turning of the alarm key (when the set alarm issounded) will contact with and throw the switch lever to either on or01f positions and thus direct the current to or shunt the current from aradio operating mechanism, or other electrically operated device, whoseconductors are removably plugged to the switch and whereby the radio, orother device, may be operated or stopped by the operation of the clockalarm which is set for such operation at desired time periods.

For a full and comprehensive understanding of my invention, and itsadvantages, reference is to be had to the attached drawing, on whichthere is illustrated one of a number of satisfactory embodiments of theimprovement.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a rear view of an ordinary spring wound alarm with theswitch applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an edge view and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of thewiring arrangement in the switch box.

My improvement is primarily desired for throwing on or shutting off theelectric current for radios, but, as will hereinafter be apparent, thesame may be successfully employed for lighting or extinguishing thebulbs of electric lamps, or for operating or stopping the operation ofany electric actuated device at determined intervals of time.

In the embodiment of the device disclosed by the drawing, it will benoted that the improvement is arranged in a vertical position on theback of a spring wound alarm clock, that the box for the switch isprovided with two plug sockets and that the throw element of the switchis of the toggle construction. In practice, the switch box may bearranged at any desired angle on the clock, or on any other device thathas a time actuated key or other movable element, or the box may haveasingle socket and the throw element may be of any desired construction.

In the drawing, the numeral l designates an ordinary clock having aspring actuated alarm (not shown). The numeral 2 designates the windingkey for the alarm spring and 3 the key or knob for setting the alarm.

On the back of the clock I, I removably secure a switch box 4. Theswitch box carries two socket members 5 and 6, respectively. The sockets5 and 6 are of the ordinary construction as is the switch box 4. Thebody of each socket is of insulated material and is provided with theusual pair of spaced openings for the passage of spring contact fingerson the plugs of conductor cords (not shown). Such cords are designed tohave their wires connected to the actuating means of a radio apparatus,the sockets of electric bulbs, or to any other electrically actuateddevice (not shown).

The sockets 5 and B at the sides of the openings therein, carry theusual pairs of spaced spring contact fingers and such fingers are formedby off-setting the ends of metal conductor plates. One of these plates,indicated by the numeral 1, has both of its ends formed with contactfingers for both of the spaced sockets 5 and 6, while the body plates 8and 9 for the other fingers for the sockets have their confronting endsspaced, thus providing a gap therebetween.

In the switch box 4 there is mounted a pair of spaced parallel U-shapedmetal rail plates for metal bridge rollers H), which are journaled ontrunnions which are oifset from the ends of the inner spring influencedmetal element of a toggle switch. A cup member, slidable on the element,contacts the spring. Guided in a groove or bifurcation in the outer endof the switch element and received in the cup, there is the inner roundend of the throw lever ll) of the switch. The lever ll) causes thesliding cup to tension the spring and is itself constantly underpressure by such spring. The lever it) passes freely through the switchbox and is pivoted for swinging movement in two directions thereon. Theswitch, as far as described, is of conventional form, but I have deemedit necessary to set forth its construction in detail.

One of the rails H for the rollers I0, is of a single metal bar, whilethe others I2 and I3, respectively, have their confrontingends spaced toprovide a gap therebetween. The rail ll may have a central inwardlyrounded notch H on its tread surface, disposed directly opposite andcentrally of the gap between the rails l2 and I3.

A cord ll carrying a plug l5, has its wires I4 and I4" enter the switchbox and these wires are secured, respectively, to the plate 1 and railII. A wire I6 is connected to rail II and plate 9 and another wire I! isconnected to plate 8 and rail It.

The cord I4 is designed to be plugged into a socket for a house or mainelectric circuit. The current is thus directed into the switch box andto .the conductor elements therein. Thus the spaced metal conductors inthe switch box are at all times energized, but the circuit is broken andcannot be completed even by the throwing of the switch. The manner inwhich the broken circuit is made by the switch and directed from the box4, will now be described.

We will suppose that the switch throw lever I0 is in its neutralposition, being influenced thereto by the pressure of the springtensioning cup on the switch roller carrying element. The lever I0 isthus in a straight or slightly angular position on the switch box, asshown by Figure 1. The lever I0 is in the path of contact with the alarmwinding key 2, when the latter is turned by the expansion or uncoilingof the alarm spring,

which is attached to the shaft for the key. A

radio or the like (not shown) is plugged in, say switch socket 6, butcurrent from the box cannot pass to the radio until the switch is thrownto bring the bridge rollers Ill into contact with the offset ends ofrails II and i2. This is done when the alarm is sounded and theexpanding alarm spring turns the key 2. The current is thus caused toflow to and operate the radio. The contact of the key with the leverprevents the rapid unwinding and therefore prolongs the life of thealarm spring. By plugging the cord of a playing radio into the socket 5and by arranging the switch so that the lever ID will be thrown by key2, to bring one of the rollers l0 against the rail ll, current will bedirect through the plug to the stop mechanism of the radio and thus cutout the radio.

When one of the radio plugs is permitted to remain in the switch box,and it is desired to illuminate lamp bulbs or other electrical devices,it is simply necessary to plug the cord for such bulb or apparatus intothe empty socket of the switch, to direct current from the switch box tosuch bulb or apparatus, and the switch lever is operated to throw theswitch in the manner above described.

It is believed that the foregoing description when read in connectionwith the drawing, will comprehensively set forth my invention and itsadvantages to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

The invention has been described and shown in its broad aspects only,and it should be understood that it is capable of such modifications,and alterations, as to better adapt it to existing conditions, and tothe convenience of the user, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What I claim, is:

The combination, a switch box, a member having an element timed formovement associated therewith and to which member the switch box isremovably and adjustably secured, a pair of spaced parallel metal plateswhose ends terminate in offset spring fingers in and insulated from theswitch box, one of said plates comprising two sections whose confrontingends are spaced, a pair of spaced metal rails having oflset ends in thebox, one of said rails comprising two spaced sections and the other railhaving a depression disposed centrally with respect to the gap betweensaid sections, a spring influenced toggle switch having bridge rollerswhich travel on the rails and one of which rollers is normally receivedin the depression to arrange the other roller in the gap between thesectional rail, a throw lever for the switch contacted by the springthereof and said lever being arranged in the path of contact with timedmovable element of the member, a conductor cord carried by the box andadapted to be plugged into a source of electric ity, said cord beingwired to the unbroken plate and to one of the rails and to the unbrokenrail, wires connecting the broken rail to the broken plates and eitheror both, spaced pairs of spring fingers on the broken and unbrokenplates designed to be engaged by spring fingers on the plugs ofconductor cords whose wires are connected to the operating mechanism ofa radio or other electrically actuated device.

' JAMES OSCAR SIMON.

